Skip navigation

Main menu

  • What's On
  • Visit
  • Art
    • Discover Art
    • Artists
    • Artworks
    • Stories
    Stories
    Stories

    Watch, listen and read

  • Learn
    • Schools
    • Tate Kids
    • Research
    • Activities and workshops
    Tate Kids
    Tate Kids

    Games, quizzes and films for kids

  • Shop
Become a Member
  • View All
  • Tate Modern
  • Tate Britain
  • Tate St Ives
  • Tate Liverpool
  • Exhibitions And Displays
  • On Today
  • Events
  • Tate Britain
    Tate Britain Free admission
  • Tate Modern
    Tate Modern Free admission
  • Tate Liverpool + RIBA North
    Tate Liverpool + RIBA North Free admission
  • Tate St Ives
    Tate St Ives Ticket or membership card required
  • Families
  • Accessibility
  • Schools
  • Private tours
  • Discover Art
  • Artists
  • Artworks
  • Stories
  • Schools
  • Tate Kids
  • Research
  • Activities and workshops
Tate Logo

Try searching for...

  • J.M.W. Turner
  • Ophelia
  • Tracey Emin

DON'T MISS

Exhibition

Turner & Constable: Rivals & Originals

Tate Britain
Until 12 Apr 2026
Exhibition

Theatre Picasso

Tate Modern
Until 12 Apr 2026
Become a Member

El Anatsui

born 1944

Ink Splash II 2012
© El Anatsui
License this image

Biography

El Anatsui (; born 4 February 1944) is a Ghanaian sculptor active for much of his career in Nigeria. He has drawn particular international attention for his "bottle-top installations". These installations consist of thousands of aluminum pieces sourced from alcohol recycling stations and sewn together with copper wire, which are then transformed into metallic cloth-like wall sculptures. Such materials, while seemingly stiff and sturdy, are actually free and flexible, which often helps with manipulation when installing his sculptures.

Anatsui was included in the 2023 Time 100 list of the world's most influential people.

This biography is from Wikipedia under an Attribution-ShareAlike Creative Commons License. Spotted a problem? Let us know.

Read full Wikipedia entry

Artworks

Ink Splash II

El Anatsui
2012

Earth-Moon Connexions

El Anatsui
1993
On display at Tate Modern part of Nigerian Modernism

Leopard’s Paw-prints and Other Stories

El Anatsui
1991
On display at Tate Modern part of Nigerian Modernism

Adinsibuli Stood Tall

El Anatsui
1995
On display at Tate Modern part of Nigerian Modernism

Stories

Exhibition Guide

Hyundai Commission: El Anatsui: Behind the Red Moon

Artwork
Close

Join in

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
Sign up to emails

Sign up to emails

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Tate’s privacy policy

About

  • About us
  • Our collection
  • Terms and copyright
  • Governance
  • Picture library
  • ARTIST ROOMS
  • Tate Kids

Support

  • Tate Collective
  • Members
  • Patrons
  • Donate
  • Corporate
  • My account
  • Press
  • Jobs
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Cookies
  • Contact
© The Board of Trustees of the Tate Gallery, 2026
All rights reserved